


A Tale of Two Shops

by whereismypie



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, BAMF Pepper Potts, Book Shop Owner Tony, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Everyone is an idiot, F/M, Hospitals, M/M, Tea Shop Owner Steve, Tony Stark Has Issues, apart from May, hints of violence, no superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:49:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23264236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whereismypie/pseuds/whereismypie
Summary: Tony Stark is happy being the owner of a small bookshop. He loves his work and he loves the bakery across the street, called "Aunt May's".Everything is perfect until Steve Rogers takes over the bakery and messes everything up.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 43





	1. Tea-ser

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and happy quarantine to you all!
> 
> I'm cooped up and bored and instead of continuing my other WIP I'm starting a new one.
> 
> This is based on my idea of opening a tea shop entirely based on puns, as soon as I get bored of science.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy!

Once, Tony Stark was the king of weapons.

He made the best, sold the most and earned a lot of money doing it. Which in turn allowed him to buy a lot of booze. And occasionally other substances that helped him forget that his inventions actually killed people.

But it was for a good cause, right? He was helping to keep his country safe.

So, he kept going, kept inventing and kept drinking. And then Afghanistan happened. And him finding out about Obidiah happened. And Tony finally decided that being the head of a multi-billion weapons company was not his future. Signing the company over to Pepper wasn’t nearly as difficult as he thought it would be and neither was finding something else to do with all of his spare time and money.

Now, Tony Stark is the king of books. He owned a small bookstore between Queens and Brooklyn just off Forest Park and he loved it. He loved spending his day reading, talking to customers and every day he went across the street to the little bakery, run by a lovely lady called May, or Aunt May as she insisted, he call her. Aunt May made the best pastries Tony had ever tasted.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays her nephew Peter would come over to Tony’s shop to help with filing and keeping the store in order, earning a few bucks on the side. But more often then not he and Tony would just sit around the desk doing Peter’s homework or tinkering on various little projects.

This was exactly what Tony had wanted and it finally felt like his life was on the right track.

Until Aunt May got sick. For weeks she had been complaining about hearing loss, brushing it off as just a symptom of age. Both Peter and Tony had tried to get her to go to a doctor, but May was as stubborn as… well as Tony himself. With the hearing loss also came a sort of clumsiness. She kept dropping things and losing her balance and more often than not Tony found her mopping up something from the floor when he came over during his lunch break. One day he didn’t find a bag of flour on the floor of the bakery, but Aunt May herself. She had tripped and hit her head on the counter when she fell.

In the hospital they performed an CT scan to check for a concussion and found a brain tumour instead.

The doctors had said that it wasn’t life-threating but that her hearing and her balance would be impaired and could get worse. They could operate if she wanted. If she could afford it.

Of course, Tony immediately offered to help them out with whatever they needed, but the Parkers were way too stubborn and proud to accept.

So, he informed Pepper of the situation and without hesitation she hired the best doctor and took care of all the bills, as well as setting up an emergency fund for them and since it was Pepper paying for all of it, Tony technically didn’t break his promise.

Thanks to the brilliant, but insufferably arrogant brain surgeon, May was on the path of recovery and Tony was sure she would take over the bakery again in a few months.

That was until one beautiful morning he walked to his shop and saw builders in May’s bakery. The first thing he noticed that the sign above the store no longer read “Aunt May’s” but instead “THRIS-TEA”. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Coffee in hand, Tony crossed the street. He was sure this was just a big misunderstanding and that the workers got the address wrong and that they meant to renovate some other store far away from here.

Tony walked up to one of the workmen and put on his best authoritarian face. “Who is in charge here?”

Without even looking at him the man pointed to a blond guy inside the shop, standing with his back to the window front, paintbrush in hand. A blond guy whose shoulders were wider than the average doorframe. For a moment Tony just watched the play of blond guy’s back muscles as he continued to move the paintbrush up and down the wall. After a good minute of staring, Tony forced himself to snap out if it and get in there to tell blond guy to leave. He took a deep breath, put his frown back on and entered the shop through the already open door.

Blond guy still had his back turned towards him and just as Tony was about to make his presence known, blond guy bend over to dip his brush into the paint bucket. No longer staring at blonde guy’s back, Tony’s eyes were no fixed on the most perfect ass he has ever seen.

“Thirsty.”

Blond guy straightened himself and turned around in one movement and in doing so managed to splash some paint on himself as well as on Tony.

“What? Oh, shoot sorry! Let me get that.”

Before Tony could say anything, blond guy darted to the back of the shop were the kitchen was and came back a moment later with a damp cloth, rubbing furiously on Tony’s thigh where the paint had hit him.

His mouth still agape, Tony stared down at blond guys very blond and very soft looking hair as he knelt before him. He almost expected porn music to start playing in the background.

“I’m really sorry about this. Didn’t notice you behind me. Quite sneaky, aren’t ya?” Blond guy asked and looked up at Tony, flashing a brilliant smile. The blue of blond guys eyes was so intense, that Tony was almost certain that it couldn’t be real. No one had eyes like that. No one had such pink lips. Maybe he was dreaming. Did he fall asleep in his shop again?

“You alright?”

Tony opened and closed his mouth for several seconds, no doubt looking like a fish out of water, before he managed to speak. “Thirsty.”

Blond guy frowned and his eyes darted from Tony to the coffee that was still in his hand.

“Sorry?”

Tony shook his head and finally snapped out of it. “The sign. Thirsty?”

The frown immediately disappeared and was replaced by that breath-taking smile again and Tony’s heart skipped a beat. “Oh, you mean Thirs-tea. Yeah, it’s a bit cringy but I thought it was funny.”

“Funny?”

“Well yeah. Thirs-tea. Because it’s a tea shop.”

Tony shook his head. “No.”

“You don’t think it’s funny?” Blonde guy almost sounded disappointed.

He shook his head again. “No. It’s not a tea shop. It’s a bakery.”

Blond guy got up from his knees and stood in front of Tony, towering over him. “It used to be a bakery. The owner sold it to me a couple of weeks ago. Now it’s a tea shop. Or at least it’s going to be.” His voice was clam and collected but Tony could tell that something in blond guys behaviour had shifted. He sounded defensive, which in turn reminded Tony that this man wasn’t to be gawked at, but to be put in his place. And his place was not here.

“You must have the wrong address. The owner of this bakery doesn’t want to sell her place. To anyone.”

Blonde guy straightened his back, which made him a good 2 inches taller than he already was, and crossed his arms, the muscles of his upper arm stretching painfully against the confines of his shirt.

“This is Metropolitan corner 71st road, no?”

“Yes, bu-“

“The former owner was a Mrs. May Parker, no?”

“Yes, b-“

“And she is currently in hospital recovering from surgery, no?”

“Yes, she is bu-“

“Well then, this is the right address and the owner did sell it to me, which therefore makes it my place now.”

Blond guy stared down at Tony; his eyes slightly narrowed.

There was no mistake here. But it couldn’t be. Why would May sell her bakery, it was her joy and pride, she worked so hard to get this place to what it was. And now some guy with a great ass just swooped in, tore down her sign and destroyed everything May had worked for all these years?

“We will see about that.” Tony turned on his heel and without looking back exited the shop. He would put things straight and he would kick this guy out of May’s bakery and fix the damage his builders had done to it.

“What do you mean you sold your place?!” 

“I mean, Tony, that I am no longer the owner of the bakery. In fact, I think it’s a tea shop now. Sold it to a very nice young man, stunning eyes, good manners.”

After he left blonde guy, Tony had made his way straight to the hospital, leaving his own bookstore closed for the morning. That was the beauty of being your own boss, you could come and go as you pleased.

Now he sat in the chair next to Aunt May’s hospital bed, the same cup of coffee he had with him since he left the house still clutched in his hand.

“But why?” He asked.

Aunt May smiled at him softly. “Oh, Tony. You are a genius, you know why.”

When he didn’t reply, she sighed and put her hand on his. “You know I can’t go back to my old life. Not after all this.”

“But the surgery went well. The doctor said you were going to be alright.”

“Alright, but not the same. The surgery took a lot out of me Tony, and I have a long recovery ahead of me. My hearing is still not as it used to be, and it might never get better. The tumour could return and if I have to go through all of this again, the last thing I need is to worry about the shop.”

“I can take care of the shop.” Tony suggested eagerly.

May laughed and rested her head back on the pillow. “I have tasted your cooking, dear, and trust me when I say, you would burn down the place in less than a week.”

“Peter could help.”

“Less than a day then.”

At that Tony couldn’t help himself but laugh as well. He knew May was right. But that didn’t mean he liked it. May and her bakery across the street had become a fixture in Tony’s life. After Afghanistan and the betrayal of one of the people closest to him, the thing Tony had needed the most was stability. True, all of this happened over three years ago, and he was doing much better now. He hadn’t had a drink in two years and his nightmares became less regular, yet he was still afraid of derailing again.

But it was not fair of him to put this pressure on May. She needed rest and most of all support of those close to her and he’d be damned if he let her down, after all she and Peter had done for him.

“You’re right.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and gave it a soft kiss. “But let me know if you want the store back and I make sure it’s yours.”

“I know.” May smiled down at him. “Anyway, what’s the name of the new place?”

Tony put on a frown again. “Thirs-tea.”

May broke into a chuckle. “Oh, that’s funny.”

“No, it’s not.”


	2. Crime without Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two weeks later and Tony is still not happy about his new neighbour. He is even less happy about one of his customers. 
> 
> Tony's POV
> 
> This chapter contains a little violence, but nothing too graphic.

It’s been three weeks since blonde guy first stepped into Tony’s life. Or at least into his close vicinity, which was bad enough.

Every day blonde guy waltzed into the construction site that was to become a tea shop and every day he smiled and waved over to Tony’s shop as if he knew Tony was watching him. But blonde guy never came over to say hi and neither did Tony. Hell, he didn’t even know blonde guy’s name. Not that he wanted to know. It would be easy enough to find out but that would imply that Tony cared, and he did not.

He really didn’t.

Not at all.

No.

He also didn’t care that every other day at exactly 4pm someone came to pick up blonde guy. It was always one of two people picking him up. The first guy was young Denzel Washington type with a stubble that he tried to sell off as a beard and what seems to be a fetish for leather jackets. He never wore the same jacket twice, but always wore the same smug and slightly flirtatious smirk on his face. Guy number two never smiled and always looked like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. He always wore his brown hair tied put in a man bun, always wore long sleeve shirts and always wore a glove on his left hand.

Tony decided that blonde guy had some really weird friends.

No matter if it was leather jacket or man bun, or sometimes both, who picked him up, Steve always embraced them, and his face lit up like the sun as soon as they stepped into the shop.

But that didn’t bother Tony.

Not at all.

No.

What did bother him was that he didn’t see Aunt May as often as he used to. Usually he would go to her bakery during his lunch break and they would sit together and drink coffee and just talk. She made sure he would eat, and he would make sure that she didn’t work too hard. Now he only saw her when he visited her at home, after he closed his bookstore. She was allowed to go back home two weeks ago but was still weak and most of the time already asleep when Tony came by.

Her nephew Peter still worked in his shop three days a week even though Tony had told him to stay with his aunt and take care of her. As expected, Aunt May had insisted that he go anyway, and Tony was sure it was just as much because she knew how much Peter liked the little bookshop, as she craved some time to herself.

Tony was sitting in his comfy armchair in the back of the shop when he heard the bell above the front door ring out.

“Hey Mr. Stark!” After almost two years, Peter still refused to call Tony by his first name and by now he had stopped trying to convince the kid.

Like a whirlwind Peter made his way to the back of the shop, his hair was a mess like usual and he seemed a little out of breath. “You never guess what happened today sir. So, you know this new girl in our school Shuri, she’s like a princess or something from a super small country like Genovia, you know from the Princess Diaries, but in Africa and she always knew she was a princess so maybe not like that at all, but anyways so she and Flash don’t get along at all, which isn’t really a surprise because, well, you know Flash and so he went up to her and said something but I didn’t hear what because I was talking to Ned in the hall, and did I tell you he got a Lego Deathstar and we’re gonna build that tomorrow evening, but anyway so Flash was being weird to Shuri even though we told him to cut it out and she was super calm while he talked trash and then suddenly BOOOOM she had like those super weird gloves on and Flash was lying on the floor and papers flew everywhere and I guess the gloves were like blaster things, you know, and it was so cool she just walked away from him like a total badass and everyone was speechless but it was awesome, well I guess not for Flash or for her because she had to go to the principal’s office and her brother, who is like a king or something, had to come and pick her up and he didn’t look very happy but Ned, MJ and I thought it was really awesome and before she left we asked her to be part of our study group and she said yes, so now I’m friends with a real princess, but she said if we call her a princess she will blast us like Flash, but I guess it isn’t too bad because he was barely hurt and those blasters are really awesome, it must be like a repulsor technology or something you know.”

Tony looked up at Peter over the rim of his reading glasses and slowly put the book down that he had been reading.

“If you say “like” or “Awesome” one more time, I will send you back to your Aunt.”

“Sorry Mister Stark.” Just like Peter never got used to calling him Tony, he never got used to the kid’s little rambles. And he thought that he was the king of rambling. But he’d be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy it. Sometimes Peter reminded Tony of himself when he was younger, just without the daddy issues and underage drinking. Like a version of himself that he could have been, if his early life had turned out less messy.

Without waiting for a response from Tony, Peter shrugged off his backpack and in doing so managed to knock over two stacks of books that Tony had sat aside for Peter to put away. “Oh shit, sorry Mister Stark. Ah, fuck I forgot no swearing. Damn, I mean… sorry sir.”

Tony raised an eyebrow at the kid and picked up his book again to hide his smile. He was glad that Aunt May still insisted on Peter working in the shop, even though, or maybe because, the kid was such a chaotic but lovable dumbass.

After cleaning up the mess he had made and restocking some of the shelves, Peter quietly did his homework at the table opposite Tony’s reading armchair, while Tony took care of some customers. Most of the people that visited his shop were regulars, always up for a little chat and looking for recommendations and Tony genuinely enjoyed talking to them. The few passers-by that came in normally just want to browse and be left alone and that was fine by him. But then there were the occasional gawkers. People who wanted to see for themselves that THE Tony Stark, the infamous playboy, weapon developer, the merchant of death, was just a bookshop owner now. Many people couldn’t, or didn’t want to, believe that he gave up his old life for good, thinking that he still developed and invented weapons in his basement. Some even tried to provoke him, get him to break façade, get a reaction out of him, but so far he stayed strong and no matter how much he wanted to insult or beat up someone, he clenched his teeth and didn’t give into his impulses.

Tony was just about to close up for the day and drive Peter home, when the bell above his door rang again. Looking up from counting the register, he found himself opposite one of the few people that actually made his skin crawl.

“The big Tony Stark. How are you my man I haven’t seen you in ages. Rumour on the streets is that you retired and became a librarian.”

“Owner of a bookshop and that was years ago, so not only is your information as faulty as your technology you’re also three years behind everyone else. So, I see nothing has changed with you, Hammer.”

Justin Hammer laughed his slimy little laugh, wiggling a finger at Tony. “Ah I see you haven’t changed at all Tony.”

“What do you want, Hammer?” Tony asked between clenched teeth. He hated that guy to the guts. His whole attitude made Tony uneasy, the way he talked and moved reminded him of a snake. Since the day Tony joined the weapon making business, Hammer was always there trying to one-up him, trying to imitate him in everything he did. Hammer was the classic jealous type, searching out the spotlight. As if his terrible personality weren’t bad enough, Hammer was involved in a lot of sketchy business deals, even for a weapons dealer, and on more than one occasion worked together with Obadiah. Of course, Tony couldn’t prove it, otherwise he would have made sure that Hammer never saw the light of day again.

Justin ran his hands over the bookshelves. “Can’t I just be checking in on my friend?”

“We’re not friends.”

“Now Tony-“ Before Hammer could finish whatever phony thing he was about to say, Peter came in with his backpack in hand.

“Hey Mister Stark, can we stop by the bodega- oh hi, sorry I didn’t know there was a customer there. I’ll wait in the back.” Peter was about to turn around again, when Hammer grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Tony, you didn’t tell me you had son.”

A burning fire spread through Tony’s whole body; his hands started to shake. “Get your hands off him!”

“Now, now Tony don’t be rude. Tell me, why does your son call you Mister Stark?”

Peter looked from Tony to the man standing uncomfortably close to him and frowned. “Uhm I’m not Mister Stark’s son. I just work here.”

Hammer’s face twisted into a sneer. “I see. Grooming the next generation, are we? Tell you what kid, if you ever want to work for a real man, call me.” With that Hammer wrapped one arm around Peter’s shoulder and with the other slid a business card into the pocket of Peter’s jeans.

Rage exploded within Tony and he saw red. In two quick steps he was on Hammer’s neck, pushing him away from Peter into a bookshelf behind him. Before he could even think about controlling himself, not that he planned on doing that anytime soon, and let his fist rain down on Hammer’s face, wiping that smug expression off.

Tony didn’t know how often he hit the man in front of him, didn’t feel the pain in his fist, didn’t hear Peter telling him to stop. Only when a pair of unusually strong hands pulled him away from his target did Tony come to himself again. He blinked rapidly like waking up from a nightmare, eyes wandering from the beaten up figure hunched against a bookshelf to Peter standing by the door looking scared and in an instant all his anger faded away and was replaced by shame and regret. Not regret about giving Hammer what he deserved, but that Peter had seen him like this.

“Hey, you with us shell-head?”

Tony knew that voice, had heard it before. Once. Thirsty. Only now he noticed that the hands that pulled him away from Hammer were still holding on to him. Blonde guy pushed himself into Tony’s field of vision, staring straight into his eyes.

“I ask again, you with us.”

All Tony could do was nod. Such blue eyes. So calming. And Tony could have lost himself in them if it weren’t for Hammer getting to his feet, shoving blonde guy aside, or at least trying to.

“You will pay for this, Stark.” Hammer spit out blood in front of Tony’s feet and pushed Peter away from the door to get out. Tony didn’t even have the chance to go after him, blonde guy’s grip tightened around his arms as if he knew what Tony was thinking. Then again it wasn’t that hard to guess.

“M-maybe we should call an ambulance?” Was that Peter’s voice? God, he sounded so shaken up. Tony could only imagine what it must have looked like for him. He didn’t know Hammer and what kind of monster he was. He just saw the man he worked for attack a random guy and beat the crap out of him.

Tony had the urge to pull Peter into a hug and ensure him that he would never allow anyone to hurt him in any way. But judging by the look of the kid that was probably a bad idea. So instead he just shook his head.

“No ambulance. I’m fine.” That might be a bit of an exaggeration but the last thing he wanted was to go to a hospital and the first thing he wanted was a stiff drink.

“I don’t think you are.” Blonde guy objected, looking down at Tony’s right fist. It looked like someone had dipped it in red paint, the knuckles broken open offering a glimpse at the bone underneath and Tony could have sworn that it wasn’t his. He uncurled the fingers to stretch them out and pain shot up his arm straight to his head, making him sway a little. Maybe blonde guy was right.

“Please Mister Stark.” Tony hadn’t even noticed that Peter had moved to his side until the boy spoke.

“But no ambulance.”

Blonde guy, whose name Tony still didn’t know, drove Peter and him to the same hospital Aunt May was released from just weeks ago. And there was him hoping they wouldn’t have to see the inside of this place again in a while.

Before they got into the car, Tony caught a glimpse on man bun standing on the other side of the street, arms crossed, looking less than pleased. Blonde guy exchanged a few words with him, which seemed to only increase man bun’s bad mood, but Tony had other things to worry about.

Hammer had said that he would pay for this and he was sure the guy wasn’t lying. And now that he knew how much Peter meant to Tony, he wouldn’t put it past him to use the kid to get back at him.

The drive to the hospital was spend in awkward silence. A few times blonde guy tried to start a conversation but neither Tony riding shotgun, nor Peter sitting in the back were very talkative.

At the hospital they made Tony sit in a little room by himself, blonde guy and Peter had to wait outside.

By now Tony’s wrist had doubled in size and the throbbing pain made him dizzy. Yet he had refused the offer of pain killers from the nurse. He already lost control in one way today, he didn’t need the temptation of a second.

He only had been sitting in the room for about ten minutes, when the door opened, and white coat appeared in Tony’s field of vision. The perks of being able to afford private insurance, Tony thought, until he saw who the white coat belong to.

“Oh, you gotta be shitting me.”

“Always a pleasure to see you, Mister Stark.”

“I thought you are a neurosurgeon, Strange.”

“Believe it or not, but even neurosurgeons have to go though all of medical school.” Strange said, putting on a pair of rubber gloves.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that a little below your paygrade?”

“It is a lot below my paygrade.”

“Peter?”

“Peter. Now let me see your hand so I can back to doing something worthwhile.” Strange examined Tony’s hand, making him flex and relax his fingers and rotate his wrist to assess the damage.

Doctor Strange was the absolute best in his field, which is why Pepper hired him to treat May, but the man was as talented as he was arrogant. He had a constant air of superiority around him, constantly rolled his eyes and flirted with everyone who couldn’t hide quick enough. Pepper said he reminded her of Tony when he was younger.

“Sprained wrist, bruised knuckles and some pretty deep cuts that need stitching. Did he deserve it?” Strange asked, looking Tony in the eyes for the first time since he entered the room. Suddenly at a loss for words, Tony just nodded but Strange seemed to understand.

“Nurse told me you don’t want any painkillers. I would recommend a local anaesthetic for the stitches they - “

“No!” Tony cut him off. “No painkillers.”

Strange raised an eyebrow at him and pursed his lips ever so slightly. “You know I’m not supposed to cause pain. There was an oath and everything.”

Tony’s patience was already running thin, it had been a long and very shit day and the last thing he needed was an argument with a self-important neurosurgeon.

“I give you permission to cause me pain.”

Strange’s eyes crinkled at the corners and a low chuckle arose from deep inside his chest. “I didn’t you were that kind of guy.”

Tony had to physically restrain himself from not rolling his eyes. “Oh, just get on with it.”

The moment he picked up the needle to stitch up Tony’s cuts, Strange became serious again and a small line between his eyebrows formed in concentration. Maybe it was good that a neurosurgeon was patching him back up, you couldn’t wish for a steadier hand. Observing how Strange’s finger worked on his hand, somehow managed to calm Tony down a little and distract from the blinding pain shooting through his body every time the needle pierced his sensitive skin.

If it weren’t for Peter sitting outside the room, Tony was sure he would have cursed like a drunken sailor on leave.

After what seemed like hours, Strange was finally done and started to bandage up Tony’s wrist. “No strenuous work for at least two weeks, when you get home put an icepack on it for 30 minutes every four hours. Change the bandage twice a day and if the swelling isn’t gone in two days, I will have to give you anti-inflammatory painkillers, if you like it or not. Understood?”

Before Tony even had the chance to reply, the door opposite him opened with such force that it ricocheted off the wall. “Anthony Edward Stark! Have you finally lost all sense? What the hell were you thinking beating up a man in front of my nephew!” Aunt May looked like something out of a nightmare. She was standing in the door, eyes wide, breathing heavily and if looks could kill, Strange’s work on Tony’s hand would have been pointless.

“Oh, Stephen I didn’t see you there. How are you? Did you get the cookies I send you?” Speaking to the doctor who had removed her tumour, May’s voice was as soft and pleasant as usual.

Strange walked over to her and gave her a quick hug. “The cookies were amazing, May. Thanks. But you shouldn’t be out of bed yet, the stress isn’t good for you.”

“I wouldn’t have any stress if it weren’t for a certain someone,” here she fixed her eyes on Tony again, “behaving like a Baboon high on testosterone!”

Tony swallowed hard and looked down at his shoes. The last thing he wanted was to upset May. Or Peter.

“I think I should leave you two alone. Take care of yourself May.” Strange gave Tony a reassuring look, before he turned and left the room.

The moment the door closed behind him, May was on Tony like a bloodhound. “This better be good, or so help me god you will never see Peter again.”

Unable to look her in the eyes, Tony started explaining what happened and who Justin Hammer was. He told her of all the bad deals he had been proven to be involved in and the many, many others, that he could never prove. He told her of his partnership with Obadiah and the suspicion that Hammer had a hand in Tony’s kidnapping three years ago.

By the end, May sat next to Tony on the surgery couch and put her hand gently on his bandaged one.

“I’m sorry Tony. For yelling and for what happened.” She said, her voice no longer harsh and accusing.

“How’s Peter?”

May shrugged. “He’s confused. And worried.”

“Will you explain to him? I don’t think I have the energy.”

“Of course. Now let’s get you home. You look worse than me.”

Tony managed a tired smile and hopped off the surgery couch, when the door opened once more.

“Why am I not surprised to see you here?”

“Because I’m always the one cleaning up your messes Tony.”

Pepper didn’t even look up from her phone, her perfectly manicured fingers flying over the screen. She was wearing an immaculate snow-white suit, her strawberry blond hair tied back in a tight ponytail, lips painted bright red. She looked as perfect as ever.

Behind her Tony could see Peter and blonde guy- what was he still doing here? – peaking in. Peter was anxiously playing with the hem of his hoody, while blonde guy just looked very confused about what was going on.

Even though Pepper had officially paid for all of May’s treatments, they had never met before and Tony had preferred it that way, trying desperately to keep his past and his present sperate. But even he knew that some things were inevitable.

“May this is Pepper, Pepper this is - “

She finally lifted her eyes from her phone, dropping it into her small bag and crossing the room to shake May’s hand. “Mrs. Parker, I know. Pleasure to finally meet you, even if it is under such circumstances. I hope you are recovering well. Mister Hogan is waiting for you outside to drive you and your nephew, as well as Mister Rogers, wherever you like. I will take care of Mister Stark from here.”

Tony’s shoulders dropped. The last thing he needed was a sermon from Pepper, even though he knew he deserved it. He could only imagine what a publicity nightmare this was going to be for her.

May, clearly picking up on the tension between him and Pepper, gave Tony an encouraging pat on the back, before she left with Peter, blonde guy right behind them.

“Before you start, yes, I know it was childish of me to hit Hammer, yes, I know it will me a nightmare to sort out, but no, I do not regret it. That slimy son of a bitch deserved it and more if it were up to me. So just safe yourself the “How could you” speech and take me home. Please?”

Pepper crossed her arms and just looked at him. To most people her face would betray no emotion and Tony knew she prided herself with that. But he noticed the slight tension in her shoulders, the thinning of her lips tightly pressed together.

Running his good left hand through his already messy hair, Tony began pacing up and down the small room. “Look I know he was trying to provoke me, and I shouldn’t have given in. But the moment he put his hands on Peter I just saw red. I know what he is capable of and so do you.” Pepper was one of the few people who knew about his suspicions about Justin Hammer, the others being Rhodey and now May.

After another little pause, Pepper finally spoke. “Did you take any painkillers?”

“No.”

“Did you get him good?”

“Yes.”

The corners of her mouth lifted a little. “Good. Now, you sprained your wrist, which means you were probably hitting wrong. I have arranged for a martial arts trainer to come see you as soon as you have recovered, so this won’t happen again. Hammer won’t say anything to the press, it is far too embarrassing, if anything we have something to hold over him. The only thing I am concerned about, is him retaliating. Peter’s school already has been informed about the potential threat and Happy will make sure their security is more than sufficient. After he dropped the Parkers and Mister Rogers off, he will join us at your house, I told him to get you your favourite pizza.”

Tony stared at her open mouthed. After all these years he should know better than to be surprised by her incredible efficiency, and yet she never failed to amaze him.

“Did you talk to Peter?”

“No.”

“Doctor Strange?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know all this?”

“I know a lot of things Tony.”

He couldn’t help himself but grin a little. He had missed being around Pepper.

“And who is Mister Rogers?”

“The man who owns the teashop opposite you and drove you here.” So that was his name. Good to know, Tony thought.

“Wait how will we get to my place. I can’t drive.”

Her slightly curled lips turned into a full-blown smile. “I’ll drive you.”

Upon hearing those words, Tony turned white as a sheet. The pain in his hand was instantly forgotten.

This was his punishment.

“Oh no.”


End file.
